tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21594002749945021212017-09-24T23:34:53.511-07:00My Stupid Wisdom"The fool doth think he is wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."
- William Shakespeare, As You Like ItThe Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-20016143685457815272016-03-27T02:36:00.001-07:002016-03-27T02:36:36.604-07:00#16.004 When Your Friends Are Books You'll Never Read Again<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Friends are Books You'll Never Read Again</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was just eating a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich and thinking about a friend from work.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like this guy. He makes me laugh. He's just interesting and unique. He kind of reminds me of my oldest brother in a way, but then again, a little bit like my younger brother. But in his own way that's....different.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, between bites of wheat bread and raspberry jam, I imagined my life as a book, and that this co-worker is a character I encounter on my journey.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I were to move out of town, I thought, it's very possible that I would never see this person again. Like many others, we would stay connected on Facebook, but there wouldn't be any other force that would keep us together. No reason for me to hear his stories in person, and laugh at his quirks.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I thought of the stories I've read before and loved, and how sometimes there are these characters we fall in love with, who mean something to us, even though they appear for but an instant.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And maybe that's OK.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still feel a strong need to stay connected to everyone I've ever encountered. That if we had a strong connection for a moment, then I want to keep that.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Social media, like Facebook and LinkedIn, make it easier to simulate these connections. We can keep tabs on old friends, and interact with their posts.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it's not the same, is it?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps people come and go in our lives, like characters in a book. Some are major characters who are there throughout. And most others, whether we like it or not, have their moment and then maybe that's it.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have the memories though. Moments we can replay in our minds. Remember. Feel a little bit of what it felt like to be around them, back then.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like books we can pick up again, we read them again, play with the characters. It's not the same as the first time we read the story. We can't totally recreate the magic of the first time we read. And yet it's still nice to try. There's still some magic there. Maybe the re-reading of the story isn't about reading it again, as much as it is reminding us of the experience we had during our first reading.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so it is with my friend at work. I get to enjoy the fact that I've gotten to encounter him at all, and that he has gotten to be a character in my book. And though I hope to encounter him more, both now and years down the road, life has a way of taking us to different places, in a beautiful way, and sometimes even cutting lives short, in an unfair and tragic way. One doesn't know what the next chapter holds.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So maybe, I thought, I don't have to make this friend a main character. Maybe he's a short blip, but what a fun blip it is. I get to enjoy the encounter as long as it's here.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And when that is over, I can welcome the next character, for as long as that blip lasts.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-47132968323815499762016-02-04T23:59:00.000-08:002016-02-04T23:59:22.609-08:00#16.003 <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm so done.&nbsp;</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm over it.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fed up.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can't live that way anymore.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Which way?&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm going to use the F-word here.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">FUN.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That's right - I don't want to live my life completely devoid of fun.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last week I flew to Colorado for Part II of a conference, and everyone there was concerned for me. Are you OK, they asked? They hadn't seen me since Part I four months ago, and they wondered where I went.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When the music came on, and people danced, this time I didn't.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was like a big Eeyore in the room, gently swaying my big donkey head to the tune of sadness and resignation.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had lost my fun.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I do believe that as a society we don't feel like we have permission to play. To include play with our work feels wrong somehow, like we're not really dedicated to our job. I feels un-American. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I find that I sometimes conflate suffering with hard work. That if I'm stressed and suffering, then I must be doing something important. At least I'm not having fun. Because having fun when something needs to be done is not OK.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are articles like <a href="http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/12/31/dont-cut-school-recess-pediatricians-say" target="_blank">this one from 2012</a> that talk about how the elimination or reduction of recess from schools is affecting the kids' health. Pediatricians and medical organizations are speaking out about the obesity epidemic and how we can't afford to keep kids inactive and indoors, for health reasons.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Which is true. Absolutely. We need recess so the kids don't become obese.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Aaaaaaand also how about because they're kids! And what the heck is a childhood without playing and having fun? (Let's pretend for a second that there's no bullying happening on this&nbsp;hypothetical&nbsp;playground, even though that is a problem.) Sure, there are many people living today who look back on childhoods that lacked fun. When family situations go wrong, children can lead lives that are downright nightmares. There's certainly no fun to speak of.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />But I'm talking about removing lightness and play <i>by design</i>. Institutionalizing and rationalizing the absence of unstructured fun.&nbsp;</span></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-88412317740732382502016-01-21T23:46:00.000-08:002016-01-22T00:06:57.231-08:00#16.002 My Poetry, Episode I<span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PNOTvLfumL8/VqHh5gnn0dI/AAAAAAAAClA/JP1k-_5LCVs/s640/blogger-image--1924209027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PNOTvLfumL8/VqHh5gnn0dI/AAAAAAAAClA/JP1k-_5LCVs/s640/blogger-image--1924209027.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've been wanting to share some of my poetry on this blog.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I write in my journal, usually before going to bed. Not every night, but frequently.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">About a year ago, what started to come out on the page was some combination of poetry, prose, and spoken word. Images and feelings, sprinkled in. Metaphors and symbols. It's the sum of my thoughts and emotions, squeezed into words and phrases that kind of spill out on the page. I was starting to write not by thinking, but by following the feeling. It's more heart and stomach and less brain. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today's blog post is just here to share my most recent entry from a week ago. I believe it was late morning, and I was outside.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The sun beats down&nbsp;</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The sun soaks</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Drenches</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Coats</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everything in its light.</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, not everything.</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Everything that dares to be seen.</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Exposed.</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anything willing to stick its neck out.</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flowers and trees grow in the direction of the sun.&nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They crane, they stretch, stretch, stretch</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">to get a drop, a peek</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They put themselves out there.</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What about me?&nbsp;</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Am I getting the sun's rays?</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Am I heating up?</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Getting warmer?</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the right spot?</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or hidden...</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Crouched...</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Out of sight...</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Safe...</span>&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you want to see the light,&nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">feel the warmth,&nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Step out. &nbsp;</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: large;">*snaps*</span>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-69913692730386751602016-01-07T23:19:00.000-08:002016-01-07T23:33:10.581-08:00#16.001 Go to Health<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On January 1, in the evening, I began to feel a little soreness in the back of my throat.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh yes...there it is again</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh no.&nbsp;</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hadn't been sick in months, so it was only a matter of time. Plus, I should not have been surprised.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The evening before, to celebrate New Year's Eve, things </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">had</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> gotten quite out of hand, what with all the sparkling apple cider and raucous board games. Fortunately, the police never got word of our family's wild celebration.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now it is a week into the year and I'm still sick. I've spent all of 2016 under the weather.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">However, I'm not complaining. In fact, I think it's the perfect time.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To appreciate health.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To appreciate time, especially time while I have my health.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To be reminded of why I build habits to exercise, eat right, take my vitamins, and wash my hands.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For me, it's a chance to slow down and remember to enjoy and utilize the rest of the year, when I'm not sick - knock on wood.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here's to a healthy 2016.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, as my Grandma Ellie would say:&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Go wash your hands!"&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">-----</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Editor's note: Hey guys. Me again.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A couple of things.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1) Since it's a new year, I figure I should start a new numbering system. In 2015 I started numbering for the Your Turn Challenge, and then just kept it going, so basically it was a running count of posts in 2015, up to the most recent one, the 26th. Starting this year I want to keep numbering, but make it less confusing from here on out. So this is 16.001 and it will keep going up for all the posts this year, and next year will start with 17.001. So there it is. A new secret code. Shh, don't tell anyone.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2) I said I had a couple of things, so this item is what rounds out the list and makes that statement true. The second thing is that, like I said in my last post, I am committed to posting every two weeks before each Friday. It's a new rhythm I'm trying. So this post will go up before tomorrow, the 8th. The next one will go up before Friday the 22nd. And so on. Through the whole year. Maybe I'll go crazy and start writing every day. Maybe I'll write my first blog post in Spanish. Or Portuguese. Hey, it could happen. But the one thing we do know is that I'll be posting <i>at least</i> every two weeks. It's even on my calendar.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks for reading. PS.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you're reading this, and you don't tell me, then I will never know. and have no idea this got to you. So please let me know when you read, it would mean a lot. Thank you. OK, this is now almost turning into 3 things, so I'd better sign off. Adios!&nbsp;</span></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-67345269609212212192015-12-25T23:59:00.001-08:002015-12-25T23:59:21.143-08:00#26 - Beginning again (7/7)I learn a lot of lessons in life.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>I try to figure them out. I work hard at it.</div><div><br></div><div>And I'm still a beginner. I still have so much to learn.</div><div><br></div><div>Like this blog, I still feel new at it. But at least I've started. And restarted. It's taken so much just to keep writing. To practice, and learn how to just put it down. And then, most importantly, hit "publish."</div><div><br></div><div>But I'm on the road. I've come so far and yet have so much to go.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Next year will be a year of new beginnings. Of continuing to learn and grow. It really does take just one step. Keep moving forward, inch by inch. Keep showing up.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>This week I showed up. Seven out of seven times. For the second time this year. That's a nice way to end the year.</div><div><br></div><div>My plan is to keep posting every two weeks. It's already a reoccurring event on my calendar. And so we'll try again another year.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Mastery, I'm learning, takes lots of practice, and even more patience. So I'll keep going and keep writing.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I'd love for you to join me in 2016.</div><div><br></div><div>Merry Christmas, everyone!</div><div><br></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-79675817866696700172015-12-24T23:59:00.001-08:002015-12-25T23:59:38.275-08:00#25 - A Time for Make-Believe (6/7)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Many children live in a world of make believe.&nbsp;</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pretend.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Santa Claus is on his way to your house, right now.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's a fun game, and for them, it's completely real. That <i>is</i>&nbsp;what is happening tonight.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As adults, we grow up. Or at least we think we do. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was just watching a TV show, and I noticed that I get attached to the characters. The storyline. The romance. The adventure.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think, yeah, my life could be like that. See? It all worked out for them.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have to remind myself that they're just characters. Actors reciting lines that writers created. It's all make believe. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We watch Christmas movies and listen to the music. After listening to "Let It Snow" and "White Christmas" on heavy rotation, I walk outside in a T-shirt to 60-degree weather (here on the West Coast at least).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We seem to believe what we want to. We enter a different world.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A fantasy land.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What happens when that fantasy comes crashing down? When we have to stare reality in the face?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I suppose we have the opportunity to meet the full honest truth.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Authentic. Real.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">True and Honest.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The make believe is nice. We all spend time there.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But like Santa Claus' visit and the nostalgia of Christmas music, it serves its purpose for a time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It can feel sad when, in the coming weeks, we take down the lights and haul away the Christmas tree. The fantasy gets packed up in a box until next time.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But we trade it for spring. For a new year, and a new perspective.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead of missing the snow and pretending it's there, we can enjoy the weather that is there.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead of waiting for Santa Claus to bring us joy through the chimney, we can create it with one another.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just us. Maybe that's all we need. No make-believe required.</span></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-80802519222785396302015-12-24T01:06:00.001-08:002015-12-24T01:06:43.615-08:00#24 - Stuffed Elephants & Why I sit in my car (5/7)I'm sitting in my car right now. Writing this entry on my phone.<div><br></div><div>Earlier today, I needed to do some reading, and I ended up bringing it to my car and reading there for about 45 minutes.</div><div><br></div><div>It's this odd quirk I have. I've noticed recently how much time I spend in my car. I gravitate toward it.</div><div><br></div><div>But what a place to read: there's natural sunlight. A comfortable seat (which reclines). Privacy and security (it locks). No wind or noise. A cupholder.</div><div><br></div><div>I think it makes sense. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>And yet I admit it's kind of weird. Why do I do it?</div><div><br></div><div>Why do I like sitting in my car so much?&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Then it dawned on me. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I feel safe here. Comfortable. It's familiar.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In fact, <b>it may be the only place that has stayed consistent in my life over the last 8.5 years.&nbsp;</b></div><div><br></div><div>I've moved houses at least 5 times. Rooms. Jobs. Careers. States. At my teaching job I sat in the same chair (essentially) for 5 years. That's changed. I had the same comfortable mattress that I loved for most of that time. Just got rid of that.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>And when I saw it from that perspective, I thought:&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Wow. No wonder.&nbsp;</div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div>It feels<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> safe and familiar. I feel protected, almost like a cave or cocoon.&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div><div>So in everything I've gone through this past nearly 10 years, I could always retreat to my car.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>And read.</div><div>Listen to music.</div><div>Nap.</div><div>Get lost in social media.</div><div>Have long text conversations.&nbsp;</div><div>Meditate and breathe.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>And it would feel like home.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>It's been the thread that ties everything together.</div><div><br></div><div>It makes me think of material possessions and how silly we humans can get with them. They're just things,&nbsp;<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">after all.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Little kids with their blankeys and stuffed elephants.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Necklaces and jewelry - maybe a family heirloom.</div><div><br></div><div>Teenagers and that hoodie sweatshirt they wear every day of sophomore year.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>But maybe they are more than that. Maybe they represent some thread that connects us to our past, brings us back home.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>What are the threads in your life? What things do you find always by your side? Where are the places you find yourself retreating to?&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I would guess that it's not by accident.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>You might find it interesting to explore these questions. See what turns up. What you find may surprise you. I certainly never thought of my car as that significant. But I guess it is.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Next time you see someone attached to some object, instead of judging, what if you wonder what the story is? What if we actually ask the person?&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As for me, you can always ask. I'll do my best to answer.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, you already&nbsp;<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">know where to find me. :)</span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-36788929114252374462015-12-22T23:59:00.001-08:002015-12-22T23:59:15.402-08:00#23 - Just one (4/7)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is one enough?&nbsp;</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This questions came to my mind today. It was in relation to this blog. A friend commented that she had read it, and liked it, and wanted to give some other feedback.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And I thought, wow, cool. I reached one person.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But...is that enough?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To be honest, many of the times I blogged this year I didn't share it anywhere, so it was possible that no one read.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was OK with zero readers. I was just writing to keep the practice, not for any audience.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So if I'm OK with zero, then I should be happy with one. Right?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember when I was younger, I felt inspired to change the world. I wanted to help so many people. Like in the MILLIONS, or at least, ya know. A ton.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But what if one person is enough?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you're talking about completely changing or saving someone's life, is one enough for a lifetime? Most news outlets would call someone a hero for saving just one life.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How about just making someone's day? Making him or her smile. Is once per life enough? I think most of us would agree it should be something like one person per day. Or is that selling ourselves short? Maybe it should be like 3 per day. 10 seems too many. That's just setting us up for failure.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Going back to this blog, I still wonder whether one person feeling inspired is enough to make me feel like I'm having an impact.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In today's day and age, we are told to value quantity over quality. More, more, more.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wonder what happens if we reduce our expectations down...down...down until we get to one.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Imagine writing or making these statements:&nbsp;</span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm going to do one push-up today.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm going to make one person smile.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm going to write one blog post this month.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm going to eat one vegetable per day.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm going to write one thank-you note to a friend.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You can make a list of your own. ("</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm going to get one like on this blog post.")</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If we're honest with ourselves - actually, I'll speak personally, if I'm honest with myself, I'll admit that I feel like one is beneath me.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm better than one. I can do way more than that.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm not going to settle.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I scoff.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One 'like'? Ew. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And then consider: how many days have I gone where I can't make any of the above statements?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I didn't even eat one fresh vegetable.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I did zero push-ups.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I didn't intentionally make one per</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">son laugh or smile.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are a lot of days where I haven't even done one.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In fact, I've gone years without writing a thank-you note.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's difficult not to get caught up in the numbers. To want to reach more people. To do more reps. To sell more products. To have more of an impact.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But maybe, just maybe, one is enough.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'll take the day I actually made one person laugh over the time I dreamed of filling an auditorium, or planned to inspire a million.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp;</span></blockquote>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-81656848425611674782015-12-21T23:59:00.000-08:002015-12-22T23:02:28.681-08:00#22 - Around the bend (3/7)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's nice to remember that things can turn around pretty quickly.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In an instant, I find that my whole outlook can change.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today I went to work feeling in a crummy mood. I had been feeling that way for a couple of days. I had taken some steps to ameliorate my condition, but my negative perspective would not go away. All I could see was cloudy and frowny.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And pretty soon after coming to work, I was around people, and I felt great again. My mood and outlook changed dramatically without anything specific happening. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What's weird is that for all that time before that, I couldn't see any other possibility than to be sad and forlorn. As hard as a tried, from that vantage point I couldn't imagine that things were about to get better.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When that feeling is there, it's so strong that it convinces me that <b><i>I'm going to feel like that forever</i>. </b>It becomes the Truth, that there will be no end to the suffering. This is it, and I have no choice but to accept that. I know in my head that that's not true, but that's still the feeling.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few months ago, I spent some time in Colorado, and I remember driving through the mountains. And there's that moment when, after winding around the rocky corners, and through the thick brush of forest, in an almost claustrophic tunnel of trees and rock, you turn a corner and BAM! - you see it. The View. Everything opens up for miles and miles: entire mountain ranges, and a great big sky with enormous clouds, and a shining lake with cabins and probably birdhouses that are too small to see but you imagine they're there with little hopping, chirping birds. And this whole breathtaking view unfolds in an instant and you can see why you've come all this way, what wondrous things lie ahead. And if you think in that moment to just 10 seconds earlier, you realize that there's no way you could have imagined that that was around the corner.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Because the previous 50 corners were just more trees, and more mountain, and more trees. So why would this turn be any different?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember other moments like that while traveling. In New York City for the first time, I was walking for miles, enjoying everything I saw. But I was looking out for the Empire State Building. So for mile after mile I'm overshadowed by steel and glass giants that tower over me, and I'm stuck walking through this monotony of gray sidewalk and office buildings, and then suddenly I turn the corner of some street, peer up, and BAM! There it is, straight ahead, the Empire State Building.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I find it comforting to remember this lesson in life. That yes, the feeling - whatever feeling - is there, but it probably won't be forever. That things can improve dramatically, and that it can even happen rapidly.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you've been winding on the road of life for awhile, and it's discouraging, and there is no destination in sight; if each new turn reveals a seemingly endless string of disappointments, remember that a beautiful,&nbsp;magnificent&nbsp;landscape may be just around the bend.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It may be difficult to hope, but hope is what keeps us going; and when you finally see the View, you might know right then that your small, stubborn hope was worth it. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-50769244563129680262015-12-21T05:47:00.001-08:002015-12-21T11:44:47.615-08:00#21 - Ready or not (2/7)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A friend of mine - "James" - is on the leadership team of a large organization.<br><br> There has been turmoil there recently and James was subsequently asked to step up to be interim leader. He wasn't expecting it. He didn't want to be in charge. But everyone was asking him to do it.<br><br> "At 5 years with this job, I actually have some of the most experience, and they see me as the most qualified. Kind of scary, isn't it?"<br><br> I found that question to be funny. <br><br> Inherent in it is another question that I can relate to:</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Who, me??"<br><br> It conveys self-doubt and the presumption that many other people are more qualified than us.<br><br> I see James as a strong leader, capable, intelligent, wise, great with people and a good heart. He's exactly the person I would want in the lead of an organization. <br><br> But he doesn't feel that sure of himself. Not yet. Not now. <br><br> It made me wonder how many other great leaders throughout history felt what he was feeling. <br><br> Do U.S. Presidents ever wake up on some morning and realize they have no one to look to for leadership? Does panic ever set in? Overwhelm? We don't see these moments, but I'm sure they happen.<br><br> Did Napoleon question himself before making key military decisions?<br><br> I wonder how often movie directors of large, long-term projects doubt their creative direction and decision. I wonder if they ever want to just hit "escape" and run away from the pressure. <br><br> I'm almost positive that most of the leaders we admire and respect went through this. <br><br> Even Jesus, leading right up to the Crucifixion, knelt in anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed, "Father, if You are willing, take away this cup from me." <br><br> This is a person considered by many people as God in the flesh, the perfect human whom they trust completely. His disciples left everything to follow him. And yet, even Jesus before his defining hour didn't feel ready.&nbsp;<br><br> It must be a heavy burden to bear. It's human nature to want to run away. We ask, "Does it really have to be me??"<br><br> The answer is, in many cases, yes. It's up to you. <br><br> You're the best one to lead. You're the best one to speak up. No one else has your particular talent and voice. <br><br> I shared some of these thoughts with James, and remarked that maybe he's the same as all the "greats" that came before. That his self-doubt may be a sign that he is ready, not that he's not. <br><br> I hope that my friend begins to trust himself a little more, that he will be patient when he makes mistakes, and know that he's more capable than he realizes. <br><br> I hope this for James because I have the same hope for myself. <br><br> The next time I am overcome with self-doubt, I hope I remember my words of encouragement to him, so I can look at the leader in the mirror and say, "I got this."</span></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-47019497586037770892015-12-19T22:17:00.001-08:002015-12-20T20:39:06.239-08:00#20 - The New Year is already here (1/7)<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">It's nearing the end of December, so I'm going to celebrate the New Year.</span><br /><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No, not 2016.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2015.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the beginning of this year, I jumped on the #yourturn challenge, which was to write a blog post every day for 7 days.&nbsp;From January 19 to January 25, I blogged for 7 days. And it stuck. I finally began writing regularly and keeping this blog.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">First once a day, then once a week for all of February, and then settled into once a month.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">March, April, May.</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">June, July, August, and September.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then came October, and I stopped.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The calendar had rolled to November 1, and I missed it.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My 9-month streak was gone. And so was any motivation and momentum. There was nothing there. I haven't written a post since.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now it's December, and I'm about to end last year's "New Year." I figure it's not too late to get something done, so I'm going to start writing again.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You see, the New Year is still a full year. It's not new for 3 months, and then it becomes an old year. It's a year for the full year.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">365 days that are all new. Every single one of them. (And an extra one on leap years, like the one coming up).</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">365 sunrises. 365 sunsets.</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">365 chances to do something because you can. Because you want to. Because you failed and you don't want that to be the end of the story.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This will be the first post of another #yourturn challenge. A challenge to myself. Seven posts in seven days, ending on Christmas. That 7 month streak between March and September? This will match that in one week.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So, here's to 2015. Before I start pondering</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">&nbsp;next year, I'm going to finish this one strong, like I started it.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And as you look forward to the beginning of 2016, remember that it's a full year you're celebrating. Another year we get to spend living and breathing and loving others. So enjoy all of it.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Every day. Starting with this one.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br /></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-64519648264103326502015-09-30T23:39:00.002-07:002015-12-11T16:09:03.890-08:00#19 - Do something you're bad at<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k71knkpIZ2M/VgzUHYrxInI/AAAAAAAACSc/Ixw4DlMsvwQ/s1600/mint-green-painted-wall-texture-600x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k71knkpIZ2M/VgzUHYrxInI/AAAAAAAACSc/Ixw4DlMsvwQ/s640/mint-green-painted-wall-texture-600x400.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I just got done painting.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">No, not like a Dali or Picasso or Monet. Not that type of painting.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">More like brushes, and trays, and buckets, and rollers type of painting.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I still have light mint green paint on my hands. And some on my shoes.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">And the one thing I noticed when I started is that I'm really bad at it. I had done it before - in fact, it was in this same house about 10 years ago. But it's been awhile.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I kept thinking, "Man, I have no business doing this."</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">It felt awkward, and I could see streaks on the walls, and I wasn't sure about what kind of pressure I should use, and the angles were all weird, and I was like "maybe it's all in the wrist" but my wrist isn't used to the whole uppey-downey sideways motions, and it was just, let's say, not feeling natural.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But my brother is painting his house and needed help, so here I am. I'm doing my best. And I feel like I suck at it. But I'm also free labor, so hey.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">What I realized at the end of it though is that I was starting to get the hang of it.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I was like, hey, maybe I'm OK at this.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I mean I was not ready to invite my grandpa, a former journeyman painter, to come take a look at it. I can only imagine the tears he would cry after looking at my workmanship.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">It's just so so far from what he could do.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I tried again at something I'm bad at.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I feel like I learned something about myself. Discovered a new skill. Pushed myself just a little bit.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">And so I say to you- try something you're bad at.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Not like a new hobby or sport or something you eventually want to get good at. Not the first step in a long journey of perfecting a craft. Even though those too start with being terrible and making mistakes.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">No, I'm talking about something you're just going to try for an hour. Or a day. And then put it down again.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Relish in what it's like to be out of place. To be a "beginner" but with no hope of being a master.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Like my painting skills. Maybe it will be 10 years before I have to use them again.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But when I do, I'll know that my wrist-rotating uppey-downey zig-zag motion skills are good enough.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">And that's good enough.</span>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-29720211016472205762015-08-31T23:45:00.000-07:002015-08-31T23:45:48.224-07:00#18 - Zap the Map<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stop.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stop using Google Maps on your phone. (or whatever app you use).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's killing your brain.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--26rDlqMPtA/VeVHznXUDrI/AAAAAAAACMw/7rAXt_N3zJU/s1600/maps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--26rDlqMPtA/VeVHznXUDrI/AAAAAAAACMw/7rAXt_N3zJU/s200/maps.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let me explain.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For years now, I've used Google or Apple maps for nearly everything. If I need to go somewhere, I type in the address, and I'm on my way. Boom.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It tells me routes, when to turn left, and when I'll get there. It's the most convenient and tempting way to get from Point A to Point B.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And it's turned me into a zombie.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I map from another city or some distant location to my house, I listen to everything it tells me to do, like an automated robot. Which makes sense for the first few hundred miles.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp;even when I'm a few miles from my house, I find myself continuing to listen intently and follow its every command.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lately I've found myself doing this and get annoyed. "What the hell am I doing!? I don't need this. I can think for myself." And I close the app.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Suddenly, my pride kicks in. My autonomy.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Where was it all those other miles?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Which is why, about a month ago, I decided to stop mapping while I'm driving.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wanted to practice driving the way it used to be, where you would look up at the street signs, and calculate distance in your head, and know which way is north, and just make a decision of where to go.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And what the heck, even get lost, and have to make a U-turn, and learn from your mistakes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I want to use my freaking head for crying out loud.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I want for the unthinkable to be able to occur, for my phone to die, and for me to still be capable of functioning as a human being with real skills.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, here's a side note: I do use the app to find my route before driving. I study it to see where I'm going before I'm on my way. And if I absolutely need to, I'll pull over and study it some more. (Let's be honest: there are obvious safety lines we cross when messing with our phones, even if it's not "texting." Pulling over helps me feel safer in this way.)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So that's my challenge to you. If you can, pick your head out of your phone and just drive.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Study the map ahead of time. Be prepared and trust yourself.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm willing to bet that with your eyes, ears, and brain, you have everything you need to get where you want to go.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-78627725728362988892015-07-31T23:52:00.003-07:002015-07-31T23:57:08.815-07:00#17 - Letting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PSMlD17dtyg/Vbxslq84jiI/AAAAAAAACLc/qyyonERZAKQ/s1600/Opening_of_Manchester_Ship_Canal_by_the_yacht_Norseman_1894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PSMlD17dtyg/Vbxslq84jiI/AAAAAAAACLc/qyyonERZAKQ/s400/Opening_of_Manchester_Ship_Canal_by_the_yacht_Norseman_1894.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><i><span style="font-size: large;">Letting go can be difficult.</span></i><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I have these boxes in my room stacked taller than me. My goal is to get rid of most of the things in there and downsize and minimize.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I went through a couple of them tonight and found a lot to get rid of.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">And quite a bit to keep.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">There are classic toys, books I love (or used to love), concert stub tickets from 2001. I had to keep <i>some </i>of that stuff.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br />They are memories. Some of them even have a direct connection to my grandma. One was a receipt of the last thing I bought with her.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Yet they don't actually bring me any closer to my past or to anyone else.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-size: large;">Letting go is hard.&nbsp;</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i><span style="font-size: large;">I was talking to a close friend this week about the nature of relationships.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">And how as you get older, especially after college, those relationships tend to change.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes a lot.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">They evolve. They take a different form.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I resist this. I want things to be the same. I want to keep a strong connection. I want to hold on to the idea that our lives still have some strong commonality.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-size: large;">Letting go isn't easy.&nbsp;</span></i><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Somehow when I was younger, I came to see myself a certain way. We all do. We figure out what our identity is and then it sticks, like a plastic candy wrapper clinging to your shoe that you can't shake off.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I've spent several years and have invested a lot of intention into shifting my paradigm, and altering the way I see myself.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">And yet I find myself saying, "Oh, I could never do that."&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">"Who, me? Someone else would probably be better."</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">....Seriously? I'm really giving airtime to these thoughts? I know better than that. I no longer adhere to that mentality.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-size: large;">Letting go takes time. &nbsp;</span></i><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I was thinking of other phrases that start with the same word.</span><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;">Letting go.</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;">Let it be.&nbsp;</span></i><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Let it show.&nbsp;</i>We each have these amazing qualities and ideas and kindness inside of us, but we often hide them.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">We're embarrassed. We assume others' qualities are better.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But all we need to do is let them out. <i>Let them show.&nbsp;</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Letting go, as has been mentioned, can be a challenge.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But maybe it's the "letting" that's the hard part.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">It's such a passive word. It shouldn't require much action or thought. You're just "letting."</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Allowing. Giving permission.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Like the keepers of a canal or a bridge permit a ship to pass through. They don't have to pull or push or coerce the ship. They just have to allow it.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">It sounds so easy.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But it's actually one of the most difficult things for us to do. <i>Letting.</i></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe there's an opportunity here.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps there's something that you have trouble "letting" in your life.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">What would happen if you gave up some control there?&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Shifted your expectation?&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Chose acceptance and patience?</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">As for me, I'm still working on it. I'm trying to be open to change. To allow relationships to connect and disconnect. To see myself in a new light.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">It may not be easy. But it might be for the best.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-90716585584381195012015-06-30T23:57:00.001-07:002015-12-11T16:12:51.303-08:00#16 - Love me a ton or to the moon and back<span style="font-size: large;">I was going over a math problem with my students, and we were converting units and trying to solve it.&nbsp;</span><br /><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">After we did, I looked at the board and&nbsp;<span style="font-family: &quot;helvetica neue light&quot; , , &quot;helvetica&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , sans-serif;">I wondered aloud: "What does it mean when someone says, 'I love you to the moon and back'?&nbsp;</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">A quick Google search reveals that the moon is 238,900 miles from the Earth. So the moon and back would be 477,800 miles.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: large;">That's a lot to love someone.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lhKubpnydLQ/VZOS1wXgQtI/AAAAAAAACKU/AV-UL-eXQkc/s640/blogger-image-1709051711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lhKubpnydLQ/VZOS1wXgQtI/AAAAAAAACKU/AV-UL-eXQkc/s640/blogger-image-1709051711.jpg" /></span></a></div></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Personally, I would drive a few hundred miles, maybe a few thousand out of love.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">But what if someone told you they loved you to the moon, but not back?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Now from what I can tell, the general expectation is a round trip, so I think a lot of people would be offended.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">But that's still almost 300,000 miles! Shouldn't you be happy with just one earth-to-moon distance? Or maybe it's that you need to come back or else you're stranded there forever?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span style="font-size: large;">Okay, forget about the whole moon thing. How about 'I love you a ton'</span></i></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Hmm, so you love me 2,000 pounds? I wonder if in other countries they say "I love you a kilo'? (No, seriously people in/from other countries - do they?)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: large;">What if someone says I love you a quarter ton, or I love you 100 pounds - would you feel cheated?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Back to the original scenario, how is love best measured, in distance or in weight? Is the ton of love greater than the lunar voyage, or vice versa?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">After about 30 seconds of this, my students were begging, "Can we just do math problems already??"</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Ha - it worked. Genius.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">We moved on, but afterward I kept thinking about it. How <i>do</i> you measure love? Is it with time? With money?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">What is your time worth, anyway?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">It seems silly to try to calculate these things and put values on them, but we do.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">But are they really worth that? Can they be measured?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I'm mostly posing questions, because I don't have the answers. Not for you anyway. I'm too busy trying to figure them out for myself.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">But I do know that some of the most valuable things are perhaps infinite.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Time may be finite, but we all get the same handful of seconds every day.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">And as for love, well that certainly could be an endless supply. Is there a way to run out?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">So maybe we should love people to the moon and back.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">And then some.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I mean, why not? Whatever the measure is, if we're doing it right, there's more where that came from.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-40263690321563971802015-05-31T23:45:00.001-07:002015-06-01T23:02:36.028-07:00#15 - Whatever you do, don't choose the $5 tank top. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was at Target tonight, tagging along with my brother, and I wandered into the tank tops.&nbsp;</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(Yes.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I live dangerously. W</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">andering around Target with a credit card in my pocket.)&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After two seconds in front of the display, I saw a red one and thought, hey, I don't have a red tank top, I only have a blue one at home. And it's so deliciously soft. And it's my size.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4_T82oIr0kI/VW1G4l6m9gI/AAAAAAAACAo/r0AbwhOOHrg/s1600/IMG_5279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4_T82oIr0kI/VW1G4l6m9gI/AAAAAAAACAo/r0AbwhOOHrg/s400/IMG_5279.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What better way to kick off the summer? For $10 bucks. That's pretty good. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I decided to get the baby-soft, perfectly-fitted crimson bro tank, and, at first, everything was fine and dandy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Until I found a different tank top - on clearance. Only $5. I mean, it wasn't exactly my size, but it was only 5 bucks.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Uh oh. This was a toughie. What was I to do??</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, I do know that this story is a simple, if not silly, example of a difficult life decision. Yet I believe this situation exemplifies more significant moments in life. The same logic I use here can be applied elsewhere.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I actually let myself wrestle with this one a bit, and attempted to bring all my decades of hard-earned experience and wisdom to the table to answer...</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Which item should I choose?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, I thought to myself: let's examine my options.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1) Do I buy the red one, in my size, for $10? Was it worth expending a double-digit amount of my hard-earned cash? Remember this was my first (and, at one point, only) choice, and one with which I was already satisfied.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2) Or do I get the grey striped one, in a slightly larger size, for $5?&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The second option was tempting. It was <i>half</i> as much money! (That's like....50%!) It was quite prudent to be reducing my expenses like that. It wasn't <i>too</i> big, just slightly, and it was also pretty soft and nice. (see: anything can be rationalized given enough time).&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was a third choice, actually. My other option, not stated, was getting nothing at all. But let's break this down. Choosing nothing</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp;can be a wise move, but can also be chosen immaturely and irrationally out of impatience and frustration. <i>Just forget the whole thing, this is stressing me out, I'm not going to get anything</i>. This could look a lot like avoidance.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet, it could also be demonstrating self-control - resisting an impulse. Being big enough to walk away.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Examined closely, this third one was more complex than it appeared. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, shipyard shishkabobs - where in the heck do we go from here?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At this point, with all these possibilities weighed together, my life-experience voice was yelling something at me very clearly: the most tempting option was the worst one.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The $5 tank top was the&nbsp;impostor.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was the choice that should elicit the same feeling as the good guy in the movie who turns out in the end to be the bad guy, and you get hit with the sinking realization that twists your stomach and tells you - <i>run</i>. Get the hell away and alert the authorities and don't look back.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When you shake out all the options, the $5 tank top is the one not to choose. It's the safe choice, chosen simply <i>because</i> it's safe. It's the watered-down compromise. It's trying to please everyone and make everyone happy. It's the choice that plays into the fear of stepping out, of taking a risk, of letting go of something good to leap to a life that's better.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't. Whatever you do, don't get the $5-grey-striped, slightly-too-large tank top. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There's always that option in life. The cop out that lets us rationalize anything really, because we were too lazy or too timid to do what was right, to do what we truly wanted.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have too many shirts in my closet (literally, and figuratively - <i>"shirts in my closet"</i>) that I purchased because I told myself a story in the store, a story that sounded <i>nice</i> but wasn't based on the <i>truth</i>. As if I didn't want to let that shirt down by rejecting it back to the shelf. I didn't want to hurt the shirt's feelings. But if I were truly honest with myself, I would admit that I'm not totally in love with it, so sorry-I'm-not-sorry, I'm putting you back, I'm leaving this store empty-handed. It's so much better than collecting junk I don't really want. Either love it, or say goodbye.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And yes, the third option actually is a choice. Don't just avoid a situation. But you can decide to walk away. Be decisive about it. I'm deciding <i>not </i>to make this purchase. I'm choosing responsibility. I'm choosing self-control. I'm choosing a story based on the truth.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or, do what you had already decided to do from the very beginning, do what was in your gut all along, do the thing that you knew would make you happy before you gave in to doubt and second-guessed yourself.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Do what I did, and buy the damn red shirt. &nbsp;</span></div></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-16996692480369155582015-04-30T23:58:00.001-07:002015-05-31T22:42:37.293-07:00#14 - Decisions, decisions<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was thinking today about small decisions.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Small decisions that, if you look at them a certain way, are really big ones.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In middle school, right before 8th grade, my brothers and I didn't know what school we were going to the next year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We had heard about a brand new school opening up. No reputation, no history. I don't even remember who we heard about it from.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, if any number of events had happened differently, it's likely that we would have gone to another school, and never thought about it again. My whole life would have had a very different trajectory. Many of the people I know would be strangers. Much of my personal and professional history would be erased and replaced with something else. It's hard to imagine.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or if my grandma had not moved across the country with four kids in a station wagon, bringing my mom to Arizona. It's extremely likely I wouldn't be here today. A different choice would have jeopardized my entire existence. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or if I had taken an internship in Washington state instead of California. Who knows where that would lead?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I younger, these thoughts overwhelmed me. I wondered if wearing a striped shirt instead of a cleverly worded graphic T would somehow set off a chain reaction to alter the course of human history. And don't get started about which way I combed my hair.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But even the big decisions don't have to be overwhelming. They don't have to be heavy and burdensome - what if I choose the wrong thing?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead, maybe a different choice can open up new possibilities. So make a choice - you never know what cool, amazing, wonderful thing could result from it.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Like me. :D</span></div><div><br /></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-54968946410461899152015-03-31T22:25:00.002-07:002015-04-01T22:41:27.130-07:00#13 - In the Pit of Despair? Take the escalator.<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5LFksfm7bxc/VRt9dXZ0j6I/AAAAAAAAB9Y/D4PP3FznZz8/s1600/Bethesda-Escalator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5LFksfm7bxc/VRt9dXZ0j6I/AAAAAAAAB9Y/D4PP3FznZz8/s1600/Bethesda-Escalator.jpg" height="361" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">(<i>This post was not actually written this morning, but earlier this month on a particularly wretched morning. Spoiler Alert: I'm feeling much better now.</i>)</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">This morning I woke up feeling awful. Not physically sick, but in every other way I was not ready for the day.&nbsp;</span><br /><div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Downtrodden. Overcome with despair. Hurt. It was the culmination of several recent events and circumstances that left me feeling pretty awful about my life.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Nope. I was not ready to face the day.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Now before you grab your streamers and balloons to help decorate my pity party, and ask me "aww, what's wrong?", just hear me out. That's not what this is about. This isn't about how I felt, it was about what I did about it.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HB4XuMrYSiE/VRt5ehj-7vI/AAAAAAAAB9M/bd0JYFREWq0/s1600/pity-party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HB4XuMrYSiE/VRt5ehj-7vI/AAAAAAAAB9M/bd0JYFREWq0/s1600/pity-party.jpg" height="266" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I knew that I felt awful, I knew I was feeling sorry for myself, but I also knew that I didn't want to stay that way. I wanted to feel empowered and do something about it.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I considered all the things I so often tell others (despite, ironically, my recent blog post warning against giving advice):&nbsp;</span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-size: large;">Choose your attitude</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Don't focus on the negative.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Think of what's in your center of control, and decide to take action.</span><span style="font-size: large;">&nbsp;</span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Ya know, that sounds WONDERFUL. Just fantastic. But it did not help my mood. It seemed an impossible task, as if this bad mood was an enormous boulder sunk down in the pit of my soul and I was to lift it up or roll it out.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">It wasn't budging.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I also knew that just showing up to work wasn't good enough. It wasn't enough for me to just slog my way through it. I was supposed to be the inspirational teacher and advisor in a room with dozens of kids.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I could possibly fake a pleasant attitude. I could force myself to say positive things. But you can't fake patience. You can't fake genuine warmth and energy. You can't pretend to be truly calm and caring.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I had to change my attitude and make it REAL.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Oh boy.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I didn't have much hope, but, ready or not, I threw myself forward. I did whatever I could to change my situation.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I started by going to bed prepared the night before - I recognized my mood and anticipated a difficult morning. I stayed up a little bit later to make sure I had a clear plan for the day, because I knew I would be frazzled if I felt unprepared.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />I made sure I got a decent amount of sleep. It wasn't the most restful sleep because I was distressed and angst-ful, but I woke up fairly rested. That couldn't have hurt. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I made and ate breakfast even though I don't like to eat when I'm under stress - I lose my appetite. But I knew I would need it for the day. And I brought leftovers for lunch to keep my fuel for the afternoon.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Keep in mind, I'm doing all this feeling pitiful. I want to curl up in a ball and punch a pillow as I cry into it, probably resulting in unintentionally punching my own head but it would be OK because it's how I feel inside anyway.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So even though I was feeling worse than Conan O'Brien after he was inexplicably let go from the Tonight Show in 2009, I was systematically and deliberately choosing actions that I thought would give me the best chance at surviving the day.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I made myself food, and made myself eat. I made myself sleep. I didn't know if they would work, but it was my best shot.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Then perhaps the most useful thing I did was I wrote down affirmations when I woke up. I've realized that, even though I feel a bit like Stuart Smalley, these are really helpful for me, especially in the morning.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MV771_Vq4FU/VRg4T-QB3TI/AAAAAAAAB80/4Gcj1WuuAvk/s640/blogger-image-1491649057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MV771_Vq4FU/VRg4T-QB3TI/AAAAAAAAB80/4Gcj1WuuAvk/s320/blogger-image-1491649057.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even His Airness needs to talk himself up.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I wrote down a whole page. Here are some of them that I believe are worth sharing:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-size: large;">Today is a New day.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">I will spend my time in the present - not the past, not the future.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">I am paying attention to my heart and inner voice.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">I am an awesome teacher.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">I am an excellent listener, and getting better.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">I have a healthy, able body.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Criticism does not have to stick to me.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">I am free from judgment.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">I get to choose my attitude.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">I am thankful.&nbsp;</span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The day was still difficult, but I was surprised at how patient I was with the kids. I came in confidently and in control. I was FUN. I brought energy and insight. Individually, I probably had meaningful conversations with a dozen kids throughout the day. I got lost in my head a few times, sure, but I caught myself and returned to be predominantly present and focused on being a positive force for the community.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I was amazed looking back at how I had started the day, and where I had ended up. To be honest, in five years of teaching, it was one of my best days in front of a class full of kids. No joke. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />What if I had chosen differently? What if I had not chosen at all and just let the day happen to me? What if I didn't have the tools and the experience to know how to respond to some pretty negatively powerful emotions?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I am thankful that I had the tools to create my own destiny today. And I look forward to showing my students, and others, so they can do it, too. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">(Please leave a comment here or on Facebook if you have a similar story to share and what you did about it. Or you can send me a message so I know you read it. Thanks as always for reading!)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-62978777143595263882015-03-08T11:55:00.000-07:002015-03-08T12:02:11.670-07:00#12 - A World of Small Wonders<div style="clear: both;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I woke up on Sunday and wrote this in my journal. It's like a blog post, but on paper. Here's the online version.</span></i></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sitting up in my bed on Sunday morning. My light is off and the blinds are drawn shut, and yet the crack in the blinds lets in a few odd spots of light. Not the stack of parallel lines one would expect, but a few irregular blobs.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was sitting there thinking, almost meditating with my eyes open, my mind rested and clear, my body calm.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I gazed at one of the shapes of light, directly ahead, and mused that one of them looked like a dinosaur...like a baby cartoon T-Rex. And I was just enjoying looking at the thing. A pleasant, ambient light starting to fill the room, and this one shape in front of me.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And as I stared at it, I began to notice the light that gave it shape was changing - not the shape itself, but its composition. Irregular lines and mixed patterns slowly panned left across the dinosaur's outline. It was like the film in an old movie, where the frames move across. I thought maybe my eyes were just adjusting, but I knew it wasn't my imagination. I could clearly make out the variance of light. And I surmised that there must have been clouds passing overhead, pushed by south or southwest winds...and the puffs of moisture and particles were chugging along, filtering the light passing through my window.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I considered for a moment that it could have been tree leaves affecting the light, but the movement was constant, smooth and never repeated. The ever-changing pattern was moving left the whole time. Which meant that this must have been a spot unobstructed by any branch...the sunlight was going through directly. I started looking around at other blobs of light and noticed an amalgamation a few feet away. I saw one had tiny shade spots dancing back-and-forth, swishing across the backdrop of light quickly.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Swish-swish-swish.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ah, the leaves. There they are.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This whole spectacle on a lazy Sunday morning made me appreciate the small beauty around me. I say small, but it's really quite big.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I mean, think about it. This little light show in my room, which I would normally miss because I was rushing or cranky or too busy, could occur because a giant star, which is a burning ball of gas 93,000,000 miles away, sends light that travels a mere eight minutes to get to our planet, which gets filtered through our atmosphere and the ozone layer, and finds its way through a break in my blinds into the bedroom where I am. But not before having to cross a line of clouds slowly crawling across the sky like a row of taxis inching along the freeway. And the interplay between this caravan of clouds and the rays of sun is what creates the funny moving picture in front of me. And I get to enjoy it in the comfort of my own pajamas.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The world around us has a magical quality to it, and if we stop to notice and enjoy, we give ourselves a chance to be filled with wonder. And connecting with this wonder is the only way to have a chance to have a wonder-ful life in a wonder-ful world.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's all around. And I bet you'll feel wonderful when you stop to enjoy it, too.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div><div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NXhwuCjjTEA/VPH44o9NWUI/AAAAAAAAB6o/jcTbEjlrqcM/s640/blogger-image--1678303130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NXhwuCjjTEA/VPH44o9NWUI/AAAAAAAAB6o/jcTbEjlrqcM/s320/blogger-image--1678303130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cJbumx805W4/VPH45ZsV55I/AAAAAAAAB6w/Qaee2QRWKTc/s640/blogger-image--1212561981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cJbumx805W4/VPH45ZsV55I/AAAAAAAAB6w/Qaee2QRWKTc/s320/blogger-image--1212561981.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NXhwuCjjTEA/VPH44o9NWUI/AAAAAAAAB6o/jcTbEjlrqcM/s640/blogger-image--1678303130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-7390667935793582392015-02-19T22:55:00.002-08:002015-03-08T12:01:32.432-07:00#11 - My advice is...don't give advice<h2><br /></h2><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was sharing with a friend recently about some things on my mind...about something I've been struggling with (I know, who would have thought I'd have things to struggle with? It happens occasionally).&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This friend listened well, and then he did what a lot of us as friends do.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He gave advice.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He said what he thought about my situation.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I was surprised by my reaction: I didn't like it. It felt kind of crummy.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It made me think of how I do that a lot. I give advice.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I mean, why not? I care. I have a lot of life experience and wisdom. I even have a blog where I share this wisdom with the masses. (No, really, you should read it sometime.)</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, plus, no one has to take my counsel, I'm just going to put it out there. No harm in offering it.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, in that moment, as I was on the receiving end of it, I was acutely aware that it doesn't always feel so pleasant.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not saying there's never a place for it, but it's best used in moderation.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because no matter how good the intention, it doesn't usually have the impact the giver intends it to have.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for my friend, I don't fault him for saying what he said. He meant well.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I left more conscientious about how I can be a better friend, teacher, brother, neighbor.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't have to dole out advice. I can hear what they are really saying - I can truly listen.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then listen some more. That's really what everyone is looking for anyway.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, I got it. I came up with this, and I'm going to leave it with you. &nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It even rhymes:&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>"Think twice before giving advice."</b></i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pretty good, right? Remember...you first read it here.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look out for my book, <u>Rhyming Adages</u>, Summer 2018. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-16447299230145360972015-02-12T22:59:00.001-08:002015-03-08T12:01:11.111-07:00#10 - Last place still ran the race<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I ran a race last week. My goal was not to finish last.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I didn't finish last. But the most important thing was that I finished.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Like this blog post. I'm keeping my streak alive.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Already 10 blog posts so far this year.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">1 time per day. Then once a week.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">This isn't pretty.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">It's not fancy.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">It's not 1st place.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But it gets the job done.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Last place still beats everyone else on the sidelines.</span><br /><br />The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-13451901654182427682015-02-05T22:09:00.000-08:002015-03-08T12:03:45.892-07:00#9 - A Few of my Fa-vor-ite Things<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">What do you value?</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">How do you know it has value?</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">This conversation often leads to a discussion about intangible things...things that have driven human existence for ages - love, peace, freedom, Otter Pops.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pVbEqwP07a8/VNRT2PnhFAI/AAAAAAAABpI/BncWuPWrDuY/s1600/otterpops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pVbEqwP07a8/VNRT2PnhFAI/AAAAAAAABpI/BncWuPWrDuY/s1600/otterpops.jpg" height="208" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sought after desperately since the beginning of time, or at least the '90s.&nbsp;</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But I want to focus on material objects, items we buy with money and credit cards, because that's a little more quantifiable than friendship and patience and Cheez-its.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">So the question of the day is: What have you paid a lot of money for that you have zero regret about?</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Or even: What is something that you love so much that you would have paid even&nbsp;<i>more</i> money for it if you would have known how much pleasure it would have brought you?</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I don't know about you, but I don't find these treasures very often. But when I do, I <i>know, </i>deep down in my soul, that it was a good purchase. It was worth every penny and then some. It goes on my List.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">What's on yours?</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">While you think about it, I will share with you my List of...</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">&nbsp;A Few (3) of My Favorite Things</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S2qd-gP1Hq4/VNRKvBDc72I/AAAAAAAABoI/aJQdhtcTADk/s1600/IMG_8096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S2qd-gP1Hq4/VNRKvBDc72I/AAAAAAAABoI/aJQdhtcTADk/s1600/IMG_8096.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">1. My Lowa Boots</span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">These waterproof, high-top, milk-chocolate-brown leather boots were exquisitely comfortable the moment I first slipped my feet in them. I've hiked in them all over the world (at least the parts I've traveled to.) Any time I think of them, I actually smile inside (and sometimes outside). I'm so happy I bought these boots. I have actually <i>negative</i> regret associated with them.&nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm even crazy enough about them that, after climbing a sacred mountain, I took one of these beloved boots off, and then carefully set up and snapped the above photograph. No, I'm not joking. Look at it. Think of what I had to do to have taken that. In case you're wondering, that is Macchu Picchu blurred out in the background. I was standing there with a magnificent view of Macchu Picchu and I was taking a picture of my shoe. &nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">Why did I take it? Well, I knew I would be blogging about it years later and would need the perfect photograph to prove my point. And that is, that Lowa makes awesome boots.&nbsp;</span></blockquote><span style="font-size: large;">2. My car.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0y4hpBzvzqQ/VNRQ5cEyKII/AAAAAAAABo0/njunDPFZ_u4/s1600/celica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0y4hpBzvzqQ/VNRQ5cEyKII/AAAAAAAABo0/njunDPFZ_u4/s1600/celica.jpg" height="387" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is not my actual car, as evidenced by the fact that there is no grass in Arizona.&nbsp;</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">My car is fantastic. If you asked me whether I would recommend it to anyone else, I would say no.&nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">I couldn't, because it's my car and it's for me.</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">I remember how much research I conducted before buying it. Even when I was at the bank finalizing the loan, I thought maybe I would regret it, or later there would be a better deal somewhere.&nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">But you know what? Who cares if there was a better deal? I found the perfect fit for me.&nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">It fit like a glove. A white glove. But it's only one car so it would be just one white glove.&nbsp;</span></blockquote><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FAqGgPye8dA/VNRCc2tVwRI/AAAAAAAABn4/o7X8UzcVaXc/s1600/the-glove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FAqGgPye8dA/VNRCc2tVwRI/AAAAAAAABn4/o7X8UzcVaXc/s1600/the-glove.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, exactly! Just like that.&nbsp;</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">My Wisdom: Cars are terrible investments, but the right one won't feel like it.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">3. My iPhone 6 (no, not Plus, because I'm not that weird).</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7cIVp9Sn4Dw/VNRRzlraiRI/AAAAAAAABo8/zx5MZYTGeac/s1600/iphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7cIVp9Sn4Dw/VNRRzlraiRI/AAAAAAAABo8/zx5MZYTGeac/s1600/iphone.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Listen, I had an iPhone 4s and it was pretty good. But after awhile it became difficult to go on another day. This is terribly offensive to all of the real problems that exist in the world, but I am a child/victim of the technological age and it's true.</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">I looked at possibly switching away from Apple and considered other smart phones, but eventually I ordered the regular iPhone 6. Would I like it? Was it worth it? Well I wouldn't find out for 5 more weeks because of shipping delays. Ahh! Breathe.&nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fast forward. Now I have had it for months, and I just love the thing. It is, a <u>bea-u-tiful</u> device. I like holding it and looking at it. I love smelling it. (not really).&nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">I know, I know, it's just a phone. Plus, phone companies and carriers are horrendous money drains and they cause serious problems as a distraction and promote unhealthy social habits and interfere with relationships. But my point is that this is a large purchase and a long-term, day-to-day commitment that I'm 100% happy with. </span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">There's a reason Apple just posted an $18-billion quarterly profit. It's called true love. (just kidding, true love is sacred and applies only to our society's relationship with Starbucks.)&nbsp;</span></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zOsdkYfCJC8/VNRPv41gpxI/AAAAAAAABoo/-WzUwbg6fzs/s1600/dilbert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zOsdkYfCJC8/VNRPv41gpxI/AAAAAAAABoo/-WzUwbg6fzs/s1600/dilbert.jpg" height="123" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">OK, at least I'm not this bad.&nbsp;</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">* * *</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Now you know some of the top items on my List. There were a few on the bubble. The Honorable Mentions would be: my bed frame, mattress, camera, Ninja blender. But not quite.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I'm actually really curious - and if you're reading this I expect you to post or let me know - what items have you purchased that you absolutely love? No regret?!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I can't wait to know! Maybe I'll go and buy it, too.</span>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-31220141809849022682015-01-29T22:22:00.003-08:002015-03-08T12:04:21.291-07:00#8 - Break on Through<span style="font-size: large;">When everyone else is doing it, do you do it, too?</span><br /><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YUewF-H1jG4/VMsZzGcGxoI/AAAAAAAABng/89_20C1bgM4/s1600/lemmings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="www.kotaku.com.au" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YUewF-H1jG4/VMsZzGcGxoI/AAAAAAAABng/89_20C1bgM4/s1600/lemmings.jpg" height="112" title="" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">(This was such an awesome game.)&nbsp;</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I was thinking about this because a guy I know from an online forum asked the group about money advice.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Oh man, I had some good names and sites I could recommend.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">When I looked, there were already over a dozen comments. As I scrolled through I saw pretty much all the names I was going to post.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Ramit Sethi with iwillteachyoutoberich.com. Yep - was going to suggest him.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Tim Ferris. Uh-huh.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Tony Robbins. Just listened to an excellent podcast interview of him.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Mint.com. Of course! They must have heard of it from <a href="http://mystupidwisdom.blogspot.com/2015/01/your-turn-challenge-day-4-crunched.html" target="_blank">my blog post #4</a>.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">And several others. These were affirmed with likes and repeats by a bunch of other users, too.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I thought it was fascinating that so many of us followed the same authors and bloggers.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Wait - were we all just lemmings thinking the same and following the crowd? Is the guy who posted the question just going to join in on the ever-growing cult of personal finance foot soldiers?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps, as the saying goes,"great minds think alike."</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">But let's see here. This online group is a collection of people who have sought out others on the same path. Intentional beings striving toward personal growth and self-betterment.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">So perhaps these authors and thinkers are simply doling out high quality wisdom, and those of us who persisted eventually discovered them. If something works, word will get around.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I think this is exactly what Seth Godin call a Tribe. (Now I have to look it up).&nbsp;</span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">―&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1791.Seth_Godin" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Seth Godin</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">,&nbsp;</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3873014" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us</a></i></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: large;">To me, this means what you seek is what you find.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">So if you are into cars and fast machines, you will find yourself surrounded by people who also love engines and belts and wheels.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">If you love fashion and beauty, you will attract and be attracted to others who appreciate the same.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">If you're into parties, you'll find yourself with a tribe of partiers.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe it's not "You are what you eat," it's "you are what you seek." (if I am what I eat then I guess I'm Chipotle.)</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">In the end, I think for most of us this is a good thing. It means if you're at least trying and looking for something in life, you'll eventually meet others along the way to support you.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">You will find your Tribe.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">This whole business also connects to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelsimmons/2015/01/15/this-is-the-1-predictor-of-career-success-according-to-network-science/" target="_blank">an article I just read in Forbes</a> about how Steve Jobs' success was mostly due to his open network. He constantly interacted with different groups of people and therefore exposed himself to a plethora of ideas and perspectives.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">He was a nexus for a variety of Tribes.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">My conclusion is this: If I find myself surrounded by a bunch of others who are thinking and liking the same thing - I shouldn't necessarily panic. It doesn't mean I'm a lemming, I'm simply with a bunch of awesome and intelligent people who happen to have come to the same conclusion.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">And yet I should also break out and make sure I'm exposed to other ideas from other Tribes. Purposely seek out a diversity of experiences and interactions. Open up my network. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">If we're in just one Tribe, we can do as Jim Morrison said: &nbsp;"Break on through to the other side."</span>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-67921104494824963662015-01-25T22:14:00.002-08:002015-01-25T22:14:29.871-08:00Your Turn Challenge: Day 7 - Challenged<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your Turn Challenge: Day 7</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Posting today means I met the challenge. I've posted 7 blog posts in 7 days.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That means I posted more than 2014 (1 post) and 2013 (5 posts) combined. And more than all of 2012 (6 posts).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In one week. That's pretty sweet.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...No, not like sugary, I'm using "sweet" in a more figurative sense. Like, it's really cool...</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, not meaning a low temperature, I mean...nevermind.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">Today's question is: What are you taking with you from this Challenge?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Basically, I'm taking away that I needed this challenge. I know I wouldn't have done this without it.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though I had everything I needed to write all along ("Just Do It", as Nike and frustrated onlookers, say), I look back and don't see a way I would have achieved it otherwise.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I was going to before, I would have. But I didn't.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had mental barriers, or invisible scripts, that were prohibiting me from taking action.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I saw this challenge, I jumped on it. And I had no doubt I would achieve it.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what made the difference?&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The difference was that there were others doing it, too.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The difference was that I was challenged by someone whom I didn't know personally, but who shared her story of frustration and failure. A story that was familiar.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a community of other people all over the world who needed this too, and we did it together.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I just needed a boost. A push. A challenge by someone who understood me and wouldn't judge me if I failed.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So my takeaway - today's stupid wisdom, if you will - is that we need things like this in our lives all the time. We need people we trust, people we connect with, to challenge us. To keep us accountable. And we need to challenge others.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can even ask others for a challenge. Or to take part it one together. It could be awkward, sure. But asking is probably not as bad as you think.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Hey, could you do me a favor and give me a challenge? I'm stuck on writing for my blog."&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a workout forum: "I haven't exercised in 3 weeks. Someone propose a challenge for me!"</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Hey, man, I noticed you stopped practicing the guitar. I challenge you to pick up your guitar for 5 minutes each day for the next 3 days. You gotta text me when you do! I'll check up on you if I don't hear from you."&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You'll meet with mixed success depending on where and when you ask. But if you're persistent, you'll find what you're looking for.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is there something you're stuck on? Some skill or talent or goal you haven't achieved? Let me know and I'll offer you a challenge! That's my promise to you.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember, you don't have to wait until some company or famous person tweets a challenge. We can do this for each other all the time. I believe we'll all be better for it.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#yourturnchallenge #yourturn #day7</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">---</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first challenge is to myself! To continue this blog.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I commit to at least 1 blog post per week through the month of February 2015.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The week ends on Thursdays after 11:59 p.m. (so, Friday midnight is past the deadline).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So my next blog post will appear on or before Thursday Jan. 29, 2015.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you've read any of my posts this week, thank you for taking the time. I hope you got something out of it. I'd love to hear any comments or feedback if you have any.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if you're liking&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">what you're reading, stay tuned for more!</span>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2159400274994502121.post-18790571361929948122015-01-24T17:46:00.001-08:002015-01-24T17:48:58.365-08:00Your Turn Challenge: Day 6 - Truncated<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your Turn Challenge: Day 6</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wrote for an hour straight today. And now I write some more.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was afraid I used up all my juice, but I still have some.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm getting reactions and responses to this blog. When I reference this challenge or talk to friends, they're bringing it up. I think people are reading even though I don't have a ton of confirmation. There are signs. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not doing it for the attention, but like I said in blog post #2, I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice it.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I think about why I'm blogging every day this week, I think of two quotes:</span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"If it's worth doing, do it daily." - something I once saw on a person's web profile</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing badly." -G.K. Chesterton, English writer.</span></li></ul><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so this week, I'm blogging daily even if I write posts that, well...suck.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't like this one?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I'm doing it right.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#yourturnchallenge #yourturn #day6</span>The Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05215669703965518872noreply@blogger.com0